The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-11-16
NATIONAL DRINKS.
QUEER BEVERAGES PECULIAR
TO SOME COUNTRIES.
Spruce Beer in the Far North
Drinks Found in South Amerf-
ca and Asiatic Countries
The "Pulque" of Mexico


drink large quantities of spruce beer. 1t
is considered an admirable corrective OF
their diet, which consists principally OF
fat pork and salt fish. The process OF
making it is simple. A few black spruce
branches are chopped into small pieces
and put into box containing SIX or
eight gallons of water, and boiled for
several hours. The liquor is then strained
and put into cask that will contain
eighteen gallons. Molasses is'added in
the proportion of one gallon to eighteen
gallons; pint of the grounds of the last
brewing and few hops, if at hand, are
also put in, and the cask, filled up with
cold water, is felt to ferment; in twenty
four hours it becomes fit for use.
Spirits are frequently mixed with spruce
beer to make the drink called "talli-
bogus"
From the sap Of the birch tree some Of
the tribes of Northern Russia prepare
their ordinary drink, "birkenwasser, "
from which they also make vinegar; and
in some districts they boil it into sweet
syrup, which serves them instead of
sugar. For those who are too poor to
drink beer or mead this Northern wine
is the only potive drink. A drink de-
lightfully acid and refreshing is made in
Brazil from the pulp of the capsule which
envelopes the seed of Cacao theobroma.
The saccharine liquor, extracted from
the unexpanded flower of the Ita palm
of Britist Guiana, is said to afford a
liquor resembling champagne in its brisk
ness. The sap of the Sontar palm is OBJ
tanned from the stem of the punches of
frui. when cut. This liquor is drank
either fresh or after it has undergone q
light fermentation. 1t bears also the
name of towak or palm wine. Some
times a species of Strychnos is infused
with it, which produces a stupefying and
intoxicant beverage sold daily in the
bazars in the Moluccas, especially at
Amboyna, IN sections of bamboo. Palm
wines are common in most warm climates.
In the Eastern Archipelago it is obtained
from the gomuti plant.
In Ceylon, Madras, and other parts of
India, toddy is obtained from the sap of
the palmyra palm, and there are two
kinds, the unfermented juice called sweet
toddy, and the fermented or "culloo." "
The sap of the wine palm called "bour-
don" and "lope" is much relishcd by
the savage tribes of West Africa. Other
of their favorite inebriants are "wawa." "
or plantain wine, and bombe," small
beer made of grain. The latter is served
in neatly carved and colored gourds, and
the contents are irnbibed like sherry
'cobbler through a reed. The cool. re-
feshing milk of the cocoanut is highly
esteemed, and other palms are brought
into requisition for beverages. In Siam,
China and Japan rice is the principal
grain used for distilling, and forms
the clan" of Siam, the "Shonchou "
and "mandarin" wine of China, the
"sake" of Japan and the "badek "
and "brom of Java. In China the rice
wine they use is by no means agreeable;
it is always taken hot, and somewhat re-
sembles Madeira in color and taste. The
Malays have a fermented liquor made
from rice which they call "gelang." The
japanese beverage, "brom," is prepared
from the fermentation of rice, and is a
kind of beer and not the produce of dis
tillation. The fine arrack "a name de-
rived from "arak," Arabic for ardent
spirits) is an invention and manufacture
of the Chinese, of which the materials are
boiled rice. molasses and palm wine.
The Indians of Chilli make drink of
maize. The grain is first baked, then
stepped in water for certain time, after
which it is boiled and set by to settle,
and when fined is fit to drink. Indian
corn is largely is largely used for distilla-
tion all over North America, and in South
America it appears to have been made
into "chica," or maize beer, at avery re-
mote period; for it was a common drink
of the Indians long before the Spanish
conquest. The liquor is said to be of a
dark yellow color, with an agreeable,
slightly bitter taste. 1t is in universal
demand on the west coast of South
America, and is consumed in vast guam
titles by the mountain Indians. Scarcely
a single hut in the interior is without
jar of this favorite liquor. From the
ks of the maize beverage is also
obtained in Mexico. In some of the
River Platte States the inhabitants make
liquor from the sweet pods Of the AL
garrobo, which, when new, is refreshing
but becomes alcoholized after fermenta-
tation. In some districts this liquor is
the principal attraction at social meet
ings. Sir Joseph Hooker tells US how
Murwa beer is made in the Himalayas.
Millet seed is moistened and fermented
for two days. Sufficient for o days al
lowance is then put into vessel of
wickerwork, lined with india rubber to
make it water tight, and boiling water is
poured on it with ladle or gourd from
huge iron cauldron that stands all day
over the fire. The fluid when quite
fresh, tastes like negus or Cape sherry,
rather sour. In SINE parts of the East a
fiery intoxicating beverage is made of
jaggery Sugar, bhang (hemp), poppy
seeds, pepper, cardamoms and nutmeg.
From the succulent peduncle Of the
cashew nut q spirit has been distilled
with diuretic properties. A wine made
from it resembles in taste an ordinary
claret sweetened with sugar, and popu-
lar beverage among the poorer people in
South America. 1t is the custom of the
Brazilians to suck cashcw before break
fast, but at any hour of the day the juice
is delightful. It is sweet and delicious,
slightly astringent and wonderful al
layer Of thirst. The juice of one cashew
is more grateful to thirsty person than
a goblet of the purest water. The Aus
tralian aborigines obtain fermented
liquor by soaking the seed vessels of the
PandamIs, and washing out the sweet,
mealy substance contained in the lower
part between the fibres, The national
drink of the MeYicans is Nnulnnn y the